Pantry/Fridge Staples for a Healthier Kitchen... bonus, it'll save you money!!

Many of my friends ask me how my grocery bills can stay so low, when I cook so often. I've discovered that the more I think about meals, the more I save. For instance, if there's a sale on ground chicken one week, what can you do with it? Chicken burgers, chicken pot stickers, chicken chili, chicken tacos/nachos/enchiladas, the list can go on and on! Stretch your proteins and make use of the lists below to make your grocery bills a little easier on the wallet. These staples will help you make almost any recipe in no time flat. Just fill up on some proteins, veggies, starches and specialties when you see them on sale. Your creativity will expand and you will start to notice less waste. I load up on our non-perishable staples about once a year and refill them as we run out. The first trip you will find to be fairly expensive (load up on canned good sales in the fall!) but the investment is WELL worth it the rest of the year.

FRIDGE/FREEZER STAPLES

Eggs
Lots of leftovers? Throw them in an omelette, quiche, or fritatta. When you're in between grocery visits this is one of the best ways to use up your leftovers. Also you will always need eggs if you're planning to make a last minute dessert, and it's silly to be without them.

Skim/Nonfat Milk
Milk in general is great to have in the fridge but do you ever find it going to waste? Make milk a part of your daily diet by using a few of the other fridge staples to make a great on-the-go breakfast or lunch (frozen fruit, milk, yogurt if you have it, even protein powder), or use it to make puddings for a quick dessert. It's a great addition to any meal and you need to get your calcium anyway so just start keeping it in the fridge! Start with quart cartons and work your way up.

Jarred Basil Pesto
Sure, it's cheaper to make your own, but I will tell you this one of my favorite fridge staples. It's more concentrated than homemade pesto and lasts a lot longer. I spread it on sandwiches, throw it on some oven roasted or sauteed chicken, put a spoonful in pasta or in sauces, and if I have last minute guests coming over it's perfect. I add some lemon juice and some good quality extra virgin olive oil, put out that day-old bread ripped up and instant appetizer!

Good quality BBQ sauce
Choose one that has a great thickness and lots of herbs and spices cooked into it. My personal favorite are the Sweet Baby Ray's variety. Leftover grilled pork, chicken, or beef? Mix BBQ sauce with a bit of vinegar and some chicken, beef, or vegetable broth, bring it to a slow boil and then add your shredded leftover meat. Instant BBQ sandwiches. Use a tbsp on a salad instead of dressing. Spread on a sandwich for a whole new twist, and if you ever are craving chicken wings, baste them in the oven with your favorite sauce for instant comfort food. Oh, and that stirfry you're throwing together, do you think it might be lacking something? Add some BBQ.

Good quality Hot Sauce (also called Cayenne Pepper Sauce)
If you're not from Buffalo you'll want to make sure you get Frank's! I was never a really big fan of hot sauce until my palate started developing and I really started expanding my culinary talents. This sauce is amazing, you can use it for everything! Don't have taco seasoning at home? That's ok, it's too full of sodium anyway. Dust meat/veggies with cumin, a few drops hot sauce (to taste), and some grill seasoning. You'll never want to go back to your regular taco seasoning! A few drops make eggs divine, you'll need it in your soups, and how can you ever make oven fries if you don't throw a few drops of hot sauce on the crispy potato strips when they're out of the oven? Trust me. Even people who don't like spicy food will appreciate the flavor just a few drops of hot sauce provides. Use it sparingly and work it into your every day foods. Also, studies have shown that cayenne pepper aids in digestion and assists with migraine headaches. Spice it up!

Block Cheese
You're not in elementary school anymore so skip the processed cheese singles. If you want a grilled cheese you should be eating it with fresh grated/sliced cheese on great multigrain bread. If you want cheese on a burger, it should be fresh sliced. You can shred cheese a little at a time to use on any recipes, it encourages portion control and if you keep it wrapped tightly it will last quite awhile. It's cheaper than buying shredded too! My personal two staples are monterrey jack and extra sharp cheddar. Store brands are cheaper but also look for local/regional cheeses which will also keep the cost down but the flavor way up!

Dijon Mustard
Use it for everything! It adds amazing flavor on just about anything you put it on! Start using it more often and you'll find new places to use it. Honey dijon works great also. Some of my favorites are on oven roasted chicken, chicken salad, turkey burgers, grilled ham/turkey & cheese.

Trans-fat free margarine
Check the label! Not all of the spreads you put on your toast are trans fat free. Tip, if it says "partially hydrogenated" anything in the first 5 ingredients, it has trans fat, even if the package says it doesn't!

Mixed baby greens/mesculin mix/romaine lettuce
Many stores now sell baby greens in bulk so each time you go, stock up. To keep these greens or your romaine lettuce from going bad, blot the moisture off of them with a paper towel, then put in a ziploc with more paper towels and squeeze out all of the air before sealing. Repeat anytime you open the greens. Guaranteed your greens will last three times as long. Why are you not adding heart healthy leafy greens to every meal? Put in soups, make a salad, make a wrap, top burgers or sandwiches.

Tortilla Shells
Preferably whole wheat but mix in some white flour now and again for flavor differences. One refridgerated package of shells means lots of meals with leftovers! Quesadillas, enchiladas, tacos, sandwich wraps, etc. Did you run out of chips and have company coming over? Use a pizza cutter to slice shells into strips, bake at 350 degrees 5-10 minutes or until crispy.

Fresh/Frozen Fruit (no sugar added)
This is self explanatory. We all need more fruit in our diets, find new ways to add it in smoothies, salads, as side dishes and purees as sauces for new twists on your favorite meals.

Frozen Vegetables
Frozen corn, carrots, broccoli, onions and peppers (stirfry veggie mix) should all be purchased in bulk when on sale and stored in zip top freezer bags. It's that easy to add vegetables to anything you're making, with no worries about spoilage. If you need a quick side dish/addition to a salad, just microwave a little at a time as needed.

Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts
Buy these when they're on sale in the bulk packs. As soon as you get home, split the packages into single breasts and wrap with plastic wrap then put in sandwich baggies. The chicken breasts are so large they can be easily filleted to serve two, or cut with kitchen shears to make quick chicken strips. Keep piles of these frozen in your freezer and you will never run out of protein in your house.


PANTRY STAPLES

Canned diced tomatoes
Make your own salsa, add to chicken bakes, tacos, or soups. Stuff your veggies with them, stuff your meat with them. You will think of a million different ways to use diced tomatoes other than just in pasta. But how quick is it to just sautee some of these with cooked pasta, throw in some herbs and cheese and call it a meal? Check out the store brands with different flavor infusions and make sure to keep some plain ones on hand to spice up yourself.

Good quality extra virgin olive oil
It's worth the price when you use less, a little goes a long way.

Canola oil
Also heart healthy, good for baking.

Canned fat-free, sodium-free broth (chicken, vegetable, beef)
It moistens everything, is good in any recipe, and especially adds flavor to boring old brown or white rices. If you open a can and don't use it all, leftovers can be stored in the fridge for about a week.

Couscous
This is the fastest grain in your pantry and tastes good as a stuffing, a side dish, or cold the next day in salads.

Brown rice
I use it for all rice dishes now. Try the easy cooking variety that only takes 10 minutes. Spice it up as necessary.

Pasta
Check out the enriched brands made with omega 3's and whole wheat. The texture is the same and it's easy added vitamins without anyone knowing the difference.

Potatoes
If you aren't making your own french fries in the oven by now you're really missing out. See my recipe for oven fries that are so good you'll never want takeout fries again! Hash browns, baked potatoes, potato soup, there's a lot of things you can do with potatoes and they're actually really good for you.

Onions
Once you slice into an onion and use part, wrap the rest tightly in plastic wrap and a sandwich baggie and store in the fridge.

Vinegars
You should have apple cider vinegar, red wine vinegar and balsamic vinegar in your pantry at all times for uses in salad dressings, sauces and reductions. With super cheap store brands, you have no reason not to! Plus, they last forever.

Dry red wine
Great for cooking, awesome for drinking. I have an inexpensive bottle in the house most of the time.

Dry white wine
You haven't lived until you've done your favorite fish with a drizzle of olive oil, herbs, white wine, and a slice of lemon in a foil packet on your grill or in your oven.

Breadcrumbs
Personally I'm a big fan of panko, the Japanese breadcrumbs. They're lighter and don't absorb as much oil, and they can be spiced up to meet just about any recipe specifications.

Spices
Sea Salt
Black Peppercorns and a good grinder
Ground Cumin
Thyme
Garlic powder
Paprika

Try these out and let me know what you think! If you think I missed something or would like to suggest one of your personal favorite staples, please leave it in the comments.